26 May 2008

During the weekend I made a piece of needle-felt with my Janome Expression machine.Very warm rich colors, I am very happy with it.I have added yarn, embroidery stitches, beads and sequins.The photo above are more or less the right colors, the photo below you can see the fluffy surface but the colors are not real.The size is : top wide 15", 38 cm.high left side 13,5 ", 34 cm.High right side 9,5 ", 24 cm.As always you can click on the photos to enlarge.

22 May 2008

Sharon wrote: How do you describe yourself as an artist? One moment I am doing one thing that could be described easily as Art and the next I am doing something else that is craft! One moment my curiosity has lead me to to look at something quite strange as beautiful like the mould that grows on food in the fridge and the next I am looking at something most people would find familiar and boring and finding it fascinating like the bubbles in the washing up water. One of the ways I try and make sense of what I do is by defining what ever it is, as clearly as I possibly can. I think most people do that. The way I see it is if you can’t talk about what you do, or haven’t taken care in how you think about what you do, how do you expect others to respect the way you spend your time? Or how do expect people to respect what you make?OK there is a few questions in the passage above but this month the challenge question is what do you call yourself and why?

I see myself as a craft-worker. By accident I create sometimes something what could be art, but I don't look at myself that way.I am a craft-worker and that is what I can.The May colors are very feminine and while working on this piece , also on mothers-day, I would like to dedicate this page to all mothers.The lace in the upper corner is one of my first bobbin-lace pieces I made, I have cut it in half now to emphasis the feminine look.On the back is a sort of poem, a free translation:

Mothers-day.Everything you really lovewill always give warmth,also when it is gone.It 'll always be a part of you, a piece of your life.

20 May 2008

This 6", 15 cm. block is for Lyn in the CQI group. Lyn had pieced the block and I did the embellishments. Lyn asked for Romantic/Victorian. I have beaded a cameo brooch which were very common in the Victorian era.Made a felt heart with an organza rose. The roses on the right are spiderweb roses.Among the buttons are two from my grandmothers ( 1900)button-box: the bronze with the black spot in the middle and the mother of pearl one with the triangle.

17 May 2008

This are the TIF colors for April and here is what Sharon gave us as the challenge:There are stages in life when it is almost unacceptable to change. For instance it is often implied that it is not acceptable to change when you are middle aged and the desire for change at this stage in life is often referred to as a mid life crisis. Yet often at the same time, in the work place expensive consultants are being hired to help corporations and institutions ‘manage change’. We are expected to adapt to different work stresses and embrace change in the work place but changes our private lives is framed as bit of issue. It amuses me when people say we have to learn to live with change as change has always been part of life. As soon as we are born we start to grow in other words we start to change.How do you see change? That is the challenge topic this month.I do see changes as positive. Changes keep you alive and updated. If all thing should stay the same it should have made me bored. When I look back at my life there have been many changes. All those changes have enriched my life and made what I am now.

In contrast with the traditional blocks in CQ I have made so far for the tif challenge, here I have used a piece of the "rusted" fabric what already had variations of browns. I have added dark brown strips of fabrics , some gold pieces of net, bronze antique beads and a few sequins.

Not satisfied with the result I added some organza pieces and yearn with the embellisher.

On the back I wrote:

Change=renew

Renew=discover

Discover=learn

Learn= grow

Grow=change

Here a photo of the surface. As always you can click on the photos to enlarge.

16 May 2008

At least my March page from the TIF challenge is ready. Above the A side of this page and below the B side, made from needle-felt made with the embellisher.The size of the block is 8 ", 20 cm square.It took so long, because I was a bit down with those colors and I had so much to do with RR.But here it is: A bunch of flowers for all my internet friends as I wrote in my post from March 9:

The TIF challenge of March are those colors and the idea: do you ever notice the little things in life? Sometimes the small things become emblematic for something larger.I didn't know what to do with this until early this morning. I was awake very early and thought about the swap-blocks I do so often.Suddenly it came to me that all those tiny stitches we all do on our work become often a nice quilt.And what also came in my mind was: without doing those stitches I never would have met all of you !! This is really a great thing which comes from the tiny stitches !!The most important thing so far in my quilt life is the contact with other people, other women. So, this is my March block, I shall make much tiny stitches and keep contact with all of you if possible :-))

15 May 2008

In one of the groups I am a member of , CQfor Newbies, we do a "season to season" swap. Above the Spring block I have sent away a while ago. We are supposed to do half of the embellishment ourselves and the other half should be done by a swap partner.Kate Proctor was my Spring swap partner and below you see the additions Kate have made on my block. Thank you Kate for your work on my block.Now my Summer block is on its way, it will take a few months before it returns , I will keep you informed :)

12 May 2008

This is my work on Debbie's block for the Fantasy RR. There is already a dragon on this block, so I thought in my childish fantasy that the dragon might kept a lovely poor princess captured in a old tower which is overgrown with roses. Roses bloom often on the most difficult places.

Do I see a hair ribbon waving for help from the tower??I hope that the knight which Lauri had sewed on will reach her in time!Below the whole block after Lauri and me.

About Me

I am from the Netherlands but have lived for 12 years on the Norwegian westcoast. Now in 2014 I am back in the Netherlands.I like to make Crazy quilts but also needlefelt items and a bit mixed media.
Widow of Simon, mother of two daughters and grandmother of four grandchildren.